Book: The Vanderbeekers Make a Wish (2021)
Author: Karina Yan Glaser
Genre: MG, Contemporary
Publisher: HarperCollins
Series: The Vanderbeekers Book 5
Opening lines from the book …
Wild was a word that could describe the weather on 141st Street on the first Monday of August. a hot wind rushed through the checkered streets of Harlem with such ferocity that trees bent in wide arches and pedestrians had to lean into the gusts at steep angled to keep from being blown off course.
WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THIS BOOK…
1) It’s fun to be back with the Vanderbeekers. By this time (five books into the series!) they feel like family. I no longer am confused by who’s who in the family. 🙂
2) It’s Papa’s birthday and the kids want to make his day special. Although, when Papa has to go away, that puts a little damper on things. But they’re still going to make the plans for when he returns!
3) There’s a little bit of a mystery surrounding Papa’s past as the kids work on the perfect birthday gift. I enjoyed figuring out things about Papa that will eventually lead us to the next book!
4) I liked the additional conflict of adding Mama’s parents who come for an extended visit! The grandmother is so critical! Perfect to add tension to the story. And the grandfather is so quiet, you wonder what he’s up to.
5) The bike ride over the Brooklyn Bridge (pictured on the front cover) is certainly a highlight of the story. I’ve never ridden across the bridge, but I have walked over the pedestrian pathway. It’s actually one of my favorite touristy things to do when I’m in Lower Manhattan. And there’s a nice little plot point with one of the bikes! 🙂
FINAL THOUGHTS
Ever enjoyable series! It does have a bit of cliffhanger (if you can call it that), which means I’m looking forward to reading the next book. Which should be due out pretty soon!
YOUR TURN…
Have you read this book? What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
Note: I’m posting this for Greg Pattridge’s Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday…